An exceptionally good and versatile actress, angular and wistful-looking, Cloris Leachman made a striking film debut in Kiss Me Deadly (1955). In between raising five children, she frequently appeared in secondary roles thereafter, but her identity remained vague until 1971. It was her poignant, exquisitely judged Oscar-winning performance as the lonely and neglected wife in The Last Picture Show (1971) that brought her due recognition and led her to two treasurable performances for Mel Brooks—the terrifying Frau Blucher in Young Frankenstein (1974) and the deliciously violent nurse in High Anxiety (1977). Leachman joined the acting profession by way of the 1946 Miss America Pageant, in which she was runner-up. Having studied drama at Northwestern University, she worked regularly on Broadway and in live television drama. Her TV career grew substantially from the mid-1970s, bringing her a clutch of Emmy Awards and her own show, Phyllis (1975-77), a spin-off series based on the supporting character she had played in The Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1970-1975.

Further Reading:

Katz, Ephraim. The International Film Encyclopedia. New York, Harper Collins, 1994.

Willsmer, Trevor. "Cloris Leachman." Who's Who in Hollywood. Edited by Robyn Karney. New York, Continuum, 1994.